For the rotating support, for example, of a shaft, it is generally typical to provide rolling bearings that have an inner ring, an outer ring surrounding the inner ring coaxially, and rolling bodies that roll on raceways provided by the outer ring and the inner ring. Due to manufacturing tolerances, however, in practice it cannot be ruled out that rolling bearings have minimal play. This play can have the result that the rolling bodies, which in an ideal, completely play-free rolling bearing are in constant contact with the two raceways and therefore are driven constantly for rotation, for example, of the inner ring relative to the outer ring, lose contact with one of the raceways and consequently are no longer driven. This loss of contact of the rolling bodies with the raceway always occurs outside of the load zone of the rolling bearing. Only for the sake of completeness is it noted that a load zone of a rolling bearing is considered the part of the bearing circumference at which the rolling bodies transfer forces. If the rolling bodies lose contact with the raceway outside of the load zone, the kinematic energy that the rolling bodies have received while rolling through the load zone is reduced by effects of friction and the rotational speed is reduced. This phenomenon occurs especially in slowly rotating rolling bearings and/or rolling bearings with large diameters, because in these rolling bearings the dwell time of the rolling bodies outside of the load zone is comparatively large.
Then if the rolling bodies somewhat decelerated by the lack of raceway contact appear back in the load zone, the rotational speed of the rolling bodies is abruptly increased again due to the contact of the rolling bodies with the raceway. This increase of rotational speed then leads to sliding friction between the raceway and rolling bodies, which decreases the service life of the rolling bearings.
From DE 1 955 238 U, a rolling bearing is known in which elastic elements provide for the freedom of play in the bearing. Here, elastic elements such as rubber rings can be arranged either on the rolling bodies or on a bearing ring. If the elastic elements are located on a bearing ring, then additional expansion rings can be provided that are loaded with a force by the elastic elements and contact the rolling bodies.
Another rolling bearing formed as a cylindrical roller bearing is known from DE 10 2006 042 676 A1. In this case, tensioning elements are constructed as arc segments that extend, for example, over an angle of 90° or 120° on the circumference of the rolling bearing and are loaded by other elements, namely pressure pieces formed as pegs and annular springs with a force acting in the radial direction of the bearing.
Another known approach for provided freedom from play in a cylindrical roller bearing is the use of hollow rollers. From DE 10 2006 055 027 A1, the use of hollow rollers for a cylindrical roller bearing with a rolling body cage is known. To force the rotation of the rolling body cage with kinematically correct rotational speed in any load state, some rolling bodies of the bearing are replaced by hollow rollers that have, in the unloaded state, a slightly larger diameter than the other solid cylindrical rollers. Due to the hollow rollers located with pre-tensioning in the bearing, the cage is carried along at very low loads, but a kinematically ideal movement of the other rolling bodies is not simultaneously produced. Incidentally, the loading capacity of the rolling bearing by the hollow rollers being used is reduced in comparison to a cylindrical roller bearing that has only solid rollers.
A hollow roller with higher radial loading capacity is known from DE 10 2007 062 391 A1. Here, an overload body that ensures that the material loading of the hollow roller remains in a permissible range is arranged within the actual hollow roller.